Maddy Institute – November 30, 2020

30Nov

POLICY & POLITICS

North SJ Valley:

Mariposa County on red tier; Merced-area bishop spurs petition

Merced Sun-Star

Mariposa had been listed in the yellow Tier 1 (denoting minimal risk of the coronavirus contagion) until last week when it was moved into the more restrictive orange Tier 2.

● Coronavirus update: Hospitalizations on the rise in Stanislaus County Modesto Bee

Outgoing Modesto council considers disciplining, releasing its city clerk

Modesto Bee

The current Modesto City Council will have its last chance Monday to consider disciplining or releasing longtime City Clerk Stephanie Lopez over an investigation of her emails, a matter the council initiated almost a year ago.

3 new Modesto council members to take office as mayor’s race heads to a runoff

Modesto Bee

The Modesto City Council will welcome three new members at its Tuesday meeting as the winners from the Nov. 3 election take their oaths of office. Rosa Escutia-Braaton, Chris Ricci and David Wright were elected to serve on the seven-member council.

Hughson mayor resigns for police chief position

Turlock Journal

Just weeks after running unopposed in the 2020 election and keeping his position as the City of Hughson’s mayor, Jeramy Young announced his resignation on Monday.

Central SJ Valley:

Fresno State ranks No. 3 in U.S. for enhancing social mobility

Fresno State News

For the fourth consecutive year, Fresno State has placed among the top five best universities for social mobility — ranking No. 3 out of 1,449 schools in the 2020 Social Mobility Index.

Fresno mayor and mayor-elect react to MLB’s plan to demote Grizzlies from Triple-A

Fresno Bee

Fresno city officials issued a statement about the fate of the Fresno Grizzlies on Friday, two days after Major League Baseball gave the city an ultimatum. MLB said in a letter Wednesday that the team must accept a demotion to Single-A baseball by Monday or prepare to go without affiliation to one of the 30 major league clubs.

Fresno on watch for virus surge from holiday; Black Friday slow

Fresno Bee

Experts are warning of a potential spike in coronavirus cases now that the Thanksgiving weekend is nearly over in Fresno County, where numbers have been climbing. Fresno County has tallied 37,994 cases and 481 deaths.

● Fresno County cases increase; number of state deaths nears 19,000 Fresno Bee

● COVID-19 update: Tulare County metrics show no signs of slowing as California rates explode Visalia Times Delta

Many in Fresno County can’t afford a free COVID-19 test. Why it’s complicated and dangerous

Fresno Bee

Overwhelmingly, however, people in Fresno’s most impoverished communities fear that taking a test will result in nothing but losing their job, missed rent and mounting bills.

Mariposa County moves into red tier; Fresno bishop spurs petition

Fresno Bee

Fresno County surged past 38,000 total infections in the eight-month coronavirus pandemic, as new daily case figures were posted Sunday by the California Department of Public Health.

The future of Madera groundwater is being decided. Do residents have a say?

Fresno Bee

If you’re worried about your well going dry and who will pay to drill deeper, or about your community having enough safe and clean water, or about your farm’s ability to irrigate, this information is for you.

This California House seat had the narrowest margin in 2018. Now, rematch has a winner

Fresno Bee

Former Rep. David Valadao has recaptured his seat in the House of Representatives, ousting Democrat Rep. TJ Cox after Valadao lost to him narrowly in 2018. The Associated Press declared that Valadao, a Republican from Hanford, beat Cox, D-Fresno, on Friday.

● Associated Press: Former House Republican Valadao ousts Cox from office Visalia Times Delta

Fresno County saw record voter turnout in the 2020 election. Here’s how many cast ballots

Fresno Bee

A record number of Fresno County voters cast ballots in the Nov. 3 election, according to numbers certified on Friday by the county Registrar of Voters Office. The registrar tallied 370,068 ballots submitted, which is 74.65% of the 495,748 residents who are registered.

Southeast Fresno residents wanted a park. Instead, they will get a 7-Eleven

Fresno Bee

“We are against this. Our kids need parks,” Feliciano Ramirez, a resident of District 7, wrote in a letter to Fresno’s Planning and Development Department, opposing construction of a 7-Eleven convenience store at the northwest corner of Tulare and Cedar avenues, across from Roosevelt High School.

‘Roach highway,’ says one tenant. Is this Central Valley’s worst apartment complex?

Fresno Bee

She said she has attempted to get support from the city of Visalia’s code enforcement department three times this year; each time, she provided her contact information and photos; her last attempt was on Sept. 21 . She says she has never gotten a follow-up.

Tulare County election results: Final tallies incredibly close in VUSD, Tulare City Council races

Visalia Times Delta

In a back-and-forth race, Tulare City Council challenger Steve Harrell won by seven votes over incumbent Carlton Jones — the city's former mayor.

South SJ Valley:

COVID-19 testing in Kern County finally matches state level, fulfilling long-held goal

Bakersfield Californian

Since Gov. Gavin Newsom tied counties’ coronavirus testing numbers to the ability to reopen businesses and hold other social activities like indoor church services, local officials have been urging more Kern County residents to get tested.

See also:

● Kern's COVID-19 numbers are among the state's worst Bakersfield Californian

● Kern Public Health reports 499 new coronavirus cases Sunday Bakersfield Californian

● As cases, hospitalizations rise in Kern, enforcement of state health orders is sparse at best Bakersfield Californian

California Regulators Didn't Follow Rules In Approving Hundreds Of New Oil Well Permits, Audit Finds

Capital Public Radio

A state audit released the day before Thanksgiving shows that California oil regulators didn’t follow their own rules and in 2019 issued hundreds of inappropriate permits for new wells.

New shopping center begins construction in south Bakersfield

Bakersfield Californian

Bakersfield's continuing southward expansion has prompted the development of a new shopping center south of Panama Lane that will be anchored by a large flooring and tile store run by a company based in Georgia.

A spotlight on nonprofits in Kern County

Bakersfield Californian

Kern County has hundreds of nonprofits that work to improve some part of life in our community from the arts to nature to health. Whatever your passion, there's a nonprofit ready to accept whatever you have to give during this holiday season, whether it's your time, attention to a cause or just a little bit of good old-fashioned cash.

State:

California sees record number of COVID-19 hospitalizations

Fresno Bee

California broke a record Sunday with more than 7,400 coronavirus hospitalizations as counties statewide prepared for stricter COVID-19 restrictions to take effect amid surging cases and Thanksgiving travel.

The latest check on Gavin Newsom’s political ambitions? California’s unemployment fraud

Fresno Bee

An unemployment fraud scheme that duped state government into paying tens of millions of dollars to criminals could become the biggest scam against taxpayers in California history. It’s also the most recent bad news during a particularly damaging month for Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Walters: Bad optics can sink political careers

CalMatters

An obvious one is Newsom’s tone deaf attendance at a gathering of political operatives at a very expensive restaurant in Napa as he was beseeching 40 million other Californians to avoid such gatherings because of COVID-19.

One Seat, Competing Pressures as Newsom Considers Senate Pick

New York Times

Alex Padilla, California’s secretary of state, has emerged as the front-runner to succeed Kamala Harris. But Gov. Gavin Newsom appears to be in no rush to make his choice.

Opinion: CA identity politics vs. melting pot vision

Modesto Bee

The jousting over Gov. Gavin Newsom’s appointment of a U.S. senator to succeed Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is fast becoming the epitome — or nadir — of identity politics.

GOP finds silver lining in Trump’s landslide California loss

Politico

Joe Biden trampled Donald Trump by nearly 30 percentage points in California. But down-ticket in this heavily Democratic state, the Republican Party found new life. Republicans are poised to win as many as four of the seven House seats that Democrats flipped from GOP control in 2018.

Federal:

Congress returns with virus aid, federal funding unresolved

KBAK

After months of shadowboxing amid a tense and toxic campaign, Capitol Hill's main players are returning for one final, perhaps futile, attempt at deal-making on a challenging menu of year-end business.

● More than 91,000 people, the most of the pandemic, are hospitalized with coronavirus in the US abc30

Trump commits to stepping down if electoral college votes for Biden

Washington Post

President Trump said on Thursday that he would leave the White House if the electoral college voted for President-elect Joe Biden next month, though he vowed to keep fighting to overturn the election he lost and said he may never concede.

See all:

● Trump rails against Twitter in late night tweets The Hill

● Fact-checking Trump’s cellphone rant of election falsehoods Washington Post

● 'Voters, Not Lawyers, Choose The President': Trump Team Dealt Another Blow In Court NPR

● Opinion: Should Donald Trump be prosecuted? Proceed with caution. Washington Post

● Opinion: The GOP: A party that cannot change Washington Post

● EDITORIAL: Trump’s Disgraceful Endgame National Review

Can Trump Change A Key Census Count? Supreme Court Hears His Claim

NPR

Even as the Trump administration is heading out the door, President Trump is trying to exclude undocumented immigrants from the decennial census. If he succeeds, it will be the first time unauthorized immigrants will not be counted for purposes of drawing new congressional districts.

● The Census Predicament: Counting Americans by Race Wall Street Journal

Supreme Court Blocks Covid-19 Restrictions on Religious Services in New York

Wall Street Journal

A divided Supreme Court blocked New York from imposing strict limits on attendance at religious services to combat Covid-19, with new Justice Amy Coney Barrett casting the pivotal vote to depart from past cases that deferred to state authorities on public-health measures.

Pres. Trump's war on illegal immigration takes on political overtone at Supreme Court

USA Today

President Donald Trump is ending his tumultuous time in office the same way he started it: cracking down on undocumented immigrants and asking for help from the Supreme Court. This time, his motive may be more political than ideological.

Some federal judges plan to retire when Trump exits. Will Biden be able to replace them?

Los Angeles Times

For the last four years, some federal judges postponed retirement plans rather than give President Trump the opportunity to name more conservatives to the nation’s powerful appeals courts.

● Opinion: What a conservative majority on the court really means Washington Post

Trump’s Payroll-Tax Deferral Creates Predicament for Congress

Wall Street Journal

President Trump’s decision to defer payroll taxes until the end of the year is leaving challenges for lawmakers to manage after he leaves office in January, and they haven’t figured out what—if anything—to do.

President-elect Biden chooses an all-female senior White House press team

abc30

President-elect Joe Biden will have an all-female senior communications team at his White House, led by campaign communications director Kate Bedingfield. Bedingfield will serve as Biden's White House communications director.

● Biden bets on a diverse Cabinet and staff to handle the problems of a diverse nation Washington Post

● Putting America's Civic Infrastructure on the Biden-Harris Agenda Rand Corporation

● Poll: Biden’s 55% Favorability Rating Is Bolstered By Republicans Forbes

Want to understand Biden voters? Here’s your reading list.

Washington Post

After Donald Trump won in 2016, the media and academia embarked on a numbingly comprehensive sociological and anthropological examination of “the Trump voter.”

Opinion: Money didn’t buy love in the 2020 election

Washington Post

Campaign 2020 was turbulent, ugly and, in the end, it hasn’t even ended. One thing we do know, however, is that people blew a lot of money on it.

Other:

Expanded Access To Voting Yielded Huge Turnout. Will States Take It Away?

NPR

For 2020, nearly every state did something to make voting easier in response to the pandemic, whether that was easing restrictions on who could vote by mail, or sending mail ballot request forms, or ballots, to all registered voters.

EDITORIAL: The Social Media Fact-Check Farce

Wall Street Journal

In recent years liberals have successfully lobbied social-media companies to police conservative content more and more aggressively. But there’s little evidence that this political interference has reduced the prevalence of misinformation online—and a new study shows how it could make the problem worse.

AGRICULTURE/FOOD

Valley growers prepare to protect citrus crops from cold weather

abc30

Citrus season in the Central Valley is in high gear. "We'll start with lemons now. We'll go through clementines, mandarins, oranges, grapefruit and navels all the way into late June, early July," says Nick Hill, the owner and operator of Green Leaf Farms.

Farmland consolidations could save water, promote solar

Bakersfield Californian

Hopes are rising in the southern Central Valley that the farmland expected to be fallowed in coming years because of drought and groundwater restrictions won't sit idle but will instead be consolidated to make room for new land uses including solar power generation.

An unusual snack for cows, a powerful fix for climate

Washington Post

One of the most powerful weapons in the fight against climate change is washing up on shorelines around the world, unnoticed by most beachgoers.

Grimmway Farms finds a buyer in Indiana

Bakersfield Californian

Bakersfield-based carrots giant Grimmway Farms said Wednesday it has reached an agreement to sell to an Indiana conglomerate that focuses on agricultural investments. The buyer is Teays River Investments LLC, an assets-management firm founded in 2009 and headquartered in Zionsville.

New California campaign aims to inform farmworkers about labor rights amid COVID-19 pandemic

Desert Sun

As farmworkers picked the chard, kale and beets that Americans will eat on Thanksgiving Day, a truck blaring a recorded message pulled up to an eastern Coachella Valley field.

Do California ag counties hold solutions to Monterey County farmworker housing crisis?

CalMatters

In 2019, Monterey County sold more than five billion dollars worth of agricultural products, from cannabis to strawberries to leaf lettuce. It is, by far, the largest industry in the county.

Food banks, safety net providers see need skyrocket for food-insecure families

Bakersfield Californian

The need for food assistance for area families has exploded since the coronavirus pandemic began in early 2020, says Orona, program manager for the Community Action Partnership of Kern's food bank, which actually includes multiple warehouses.

See also:

● A growing number of Americans are going hungry Washington Post

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY

Crime:

These forms put jobless Californians at risk of identity theft. It will take months to fix them

Fresno Bee

Despite stark warnings that using Social Security numbers on many mailings is putting Californians’ identities at risk, the Employment Development Department has told the state auditor that it will take until August to stop using the numbers on its top three forms.

Public Safety:

As cases, hospitalizations rise in Kern, enforcement of state health orders is sparse at best

Bakersfield Californian

As Kern County heads toward another major surge of COVID-19 cases, the enforcement of state rules and guidelines, meant to protect public health and stop transmission of the virus, appears to be sparse at best locally.

COVID-19 continues to roil California prisons, jails as officials face new criticism

Los Angeles Times

Her jail, she said, was overwhelmed with convicted inmates who normally would be moved to state prisons but who were now stuck in limbo as prison officials again halted those transfers Wednesday.

Fire:

Creek Fire: 379,895 acres burned, 95% contained; full containment expected Nov. 30

abc30

The Creek Fire was first sparked on Friday, September 4, and 379,895 acres have burned as of Thursday morning with 78% containment. CAL FIRE officials say it is the largest single fire in California's recorded history.

Commentary: Conspiracies in the woods, and what grandpa knew, about managing forests

Fresno Bee

Government policy for decades since has been to suppress rather than prevent forest fires, allowing the forests to become overgrown, overcrowded tender boxes.

Wildfire Smoke Is Poisoning California’s Kids. Some Pay a Higher Price.

Washington Post

The fires sweeping across millions of acres in California aren’t just incinerating trees and houses. They’re also filling the lungs of California’s children with smoke, with potentially grave effects over the course of their lives.

ECONOMY/JOBS

Economy:

SBA tops $50 million in disaster assistance loans

Turlock Journal

The U.S. Small Business Administration announced that the agency has approved more than 50 million in federal disaster loans for California businesses impacted by wildfires that occurred Aug. 14 – Sept. 26, 2020.

Warszawski: If Gov. Newsom insists on taking indoor dining off the menu, let us see the recipe

Fresno Bee

Show your work, Gov. Gavin Newsom. Give us the recipe your health experts are following to make policy decisions about how California restaurants can operate during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bethany Clough: ‘This is different.’ How coronavirus changed Black Friday shopping in Fresno

Fresno Bee

The coronavirus pandemic kept many people home for the traditional kickoff to the holiday shopping season. People came out to shop, but there weren’t huge crowds early in the morning like in years past, leaving it looking something like an average weekday.

Commentary: October’s weak economic recovery could be the calm before an even worse storm

Brookings

Although the U.S. economy has gradually recuperated over the past few months, a record new wave of COVID-19 cases—most notably in the Midwest and Northeast—began to take hold in October.

Jobs:

Better Days for California’s Labor Market, but Will They Last?

Public Policy Institute of California

In October, California employers added jobs at a pace not seen since June, faster than the US overall. Jobs grew by 0.9% between September and October, and California has now recovered 44% of jobs lost early in the pandemic.

Retail workers, low-wage heroes of the pandemic, brace for Black Friday crowds during COVID-19 surge

Fresno Bee

Upstairs at the 4th Avenue Target in Sacramento, there are at least 15 pallets filled exclusively with flat-screen TVs. To at least one worker, it’s a troubling sign of a potentially chaotic Black Friday this year.

Labor Department Published ‘Flawed Estimates’ of Weekly Jobless Claims, Watchdog Says

Wall Street Journal

The nation’s system for providing unemployment benefits to jobless workers has consistently produced inaccurate data and lower-than-appropriate payouts to some workers amid the Covid-19 pandemic, a government watchdog said Monday.

Disparity in Jobless Rates Suggests Black Workers Face Slower Recovery

Wall Street Journal

From advanced-degree holders to high-school dropouts, Black workers have substantially higher unemployment rates at every level of educational attainment than white workers—and the disparity has widened this year during the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic and related shutdowns.

Pushed by Pandemic, Amazon Goes on a Hiring Spree Without Equal

New York Times

The company has added 427,300 employees in 10 months, bringing its global work force to more than 1.2 million.

EDUCATION

K-12:

Fresno Unified addresses chronic absenteeism among students

abc30

New attendance data is helping local districts address a big problem - chronic absenteeism. Fresno Unified is tracking attendance and students that are chronically absent.

Kernville announces it will switch back to distance learning until January because of COVID-19 spike

Bakersfield Californian

Kernville Union Elementary School District announced that its elementary and special education students who had returned for in-person learning would be returning to distance learning after Thanksgiving break.

Modesto students were failing under home study. How in-person learning hubs brought them back

Modesto Bee

Preston Lee and Melissa Mullings, both juniors at Gregori High School, had similar experiences when the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to begin distance learning. Logging into school to study from home just wasn’t working for them.

Remote school is leaving children sad and angry

Washington Post

Some children are doing fine with remote school; some even prefer it. But many others are suffering emotionally, mentally and even physically from so many hours, often alone, in front of a computer screen.

● Pandemic Takes Toll On Children's Mental Health NPR

● Walters: School closures may be killing our kids CalMatters

Opinion: Teachers Should Get the Covid Vaccine First

Wall Street Journal

Most agree that America’s 18 million health-care workers should top the list. The 3.3 million teachers should come next.

Biden Plans to Roll Back Trump-Era Education Policies

Wall Street Journal

President-elect Joe Biden has vowed to bring sweeping changes to education and to reverse some of the civil rights-related moves made under President Trump.

Higher Ed:

Fresno State ranks No. 3 in U.S. for enhancing social mobility

Fresno State News

For the fourth consecutive year, Fresno State has placed among the top five best universities for social mobility — ranking No. 3 out of 1,449 schools in the 2020 Social Mobility Index.

New teacher residency pilot aims to prepare educators for rural schools

abc30

A new teacher residency program is helping future educators fast track to a career in the classroom. Across the state, classrooms can't keep up with the demand for teachers.

UC application deadline extended after 'technical difficulties', University of California says

abc7

The University of California is extending the deadline for UC applications after "technical difficulties" the night before the Nov. 30 due date. University of California undergraduate admissions first tweeted they were experiencing site outages around 5:45 p.m. after prospective students complained on social media about not being able to access the website.

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY

Environment:

Top California air, climate regulator hopes to run Biden EPA

KGET

Over four decades, Mary Nichols has been the regulator behind some of the nation’s most ambitious climate policies and, in recent years, she’s been their staunchest defender against President Donald Trump’s effort to dismantle them.

California Regulators Didn't Follow Rules In Approving Hundreds Of New Oil Well Permits, Audit Finds

Capital Public Radio

A state audit released the day before Thanksgiving shows that California oil regulators didn’t follow their own rules and in 2019 issued hundreds of inappropriate permits for new wells.

California partners with NASA to enlist Earth-observing satellite data in climate change efforts

Turlock Journal

A new partnership with Pasadena-based Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA JPL) will help state agencies better understand climate change impacts and identify opportunities to build resilience, conserve biodiversity and use California’s natural and working lands to store and remove carbon from the atmosphere.

An unusual snack for cows, a powerful fix for climate

Washington Post

One of the most powerful weapons in the fight against climate change is washing up on shorelines around the world, unnoticed by most beachgoers.

Energy:

California moves toward all-electric home appliances as part of decarbonization effort

Bakersfield Californian

Natural gas-fueled appliances such as water heaters and ranges may eventually become the sign of an older home as policymakers push forward with California's ambitious plan to decarbonize the state.

HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES

Health:

California sees record number of COVID-19 hospitalizations

Fresno Bee

● Coronavirus update: Fresno reports nearly 300 new cases following Thanksgiving Fresno Bee

● Fauci: US may see ‘surge upon surge’ of virus in weeks ahead Fresno Bee

● More than 91,000 people, the most of the pandemic, are hospitalized with coronavirus in the US abc30

● Coronavirus update: Hospitalizations on the rise in Stanislaus County Modesto Bee

● COVID-19 update: Tulare County metrics show no signs of slowing as California rates explode Visalia Times Delta

● Kern Public Health reports 499 new coronavirus cases Sunday Bakersfield Californian

COVID-19 Pandemic Can Exacerbate Stress, Depression During The Holidays, Especially For Those Who Are Isolated

Capital Public Radio

For those who are grieving, estranged from their families or already living with a mental health issue, November and December can be a difficult time of year. People with a mental health condition may be more prone to the so-called “holiday blues,” which are often tied to financial strain, loneliness, colder weather and other factors.

Human Services:

Many in Fresno County can’t afford a free COVID-19 test. Why it’s complicated and dangerous

Fresno Bee

On Sept. 9, a mobile testing site rolled up to Huron Middle School in the 7,000-person rural city 50 miles south of Fresno. In four hours, only four people showed up for free COVID-19 testing.

CDC panel meets Tuesday to vote on who gets COVID-19 vaccine first

abc30

A panel of U.S. advisers will meet Tuesday to vote on how scarce, initial supplies of a COVID-19 vaccine will be given out once one has been approved. Experts have proposed giving the vaccine to health workers first.

● The health-care system has failed Black Americans. No wonder many are hesitant about a vaccine. Washington Post

● Hope on the way: Here’s what you need to know about California’s COVID-19 vaccine plan CalMatters

● A COVID-19 Vaccine For Children May Still Be Many Months Away VPR

● Opinion: Teachers Should Get the Covid Vaccine First Wall Street Journal

Moderna to Ask Health Regulators to Authorize Its Covid-19 Vaccine

Wall Street Journal

Moderna Inc. said it will on Monday ask U.S. and European health regulators to authorize use of the company’s Covid-19 vaccine, after it was shown to be 94.1% effective in a full analysis of a pivotal study.

How government incentives shaped the nursing home business — and left it vulnerable to a pandemic

Washington Post

Federal money, through the Medicare and Medicaid systems, has long shaped the nursing home business — and in ways that left it completely vulnerable when the viral pandemic arrived in March.

See also:

● EDITORIAL: Can Republicans Regroup on Health Care? Wall Street Journal

IMMIGRATION

President Trump's war on illegal immigration takes on political overtone at Supreme Court

USA Today

LAND USE/HOUSING

Land Use:

Southeast Fresno residents wanted a park. Instead, they will get a 7-Eleven

Fresno Bee

China Peak set to open with limited mountain access

abc30

Despite damage from the Creek Fire, China Peak said it's ready to welcome back skiers and snowboarders for the season. The mountain resort is opening Sunday morning with limited mountain access.

New shopping center begins construction in south Bakersfield

Bakersfield Californian

Housing:

California has fewer hotels for homeless people as pandemic surges in state

Politico

Thousands of homeless people staying in California hotels could soon return to the streets — just as the state enters a potentially devastating third wave of the pandemic.

How a Biden administration will address California’s housing problems

Los Angeles Times

President-elect Joe Biden has a lengthy list of ideas to address housing affordability in California and across the country. He wants to fully fund Section 8 housing assistance vouchers for low-income renters, add a new tax credit for renters and provide greater down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers.

‘Roach highway,’ says one tenant. Is this Central Valley’s worst apartment complex?

Fresno Bee

PUBLIC FINANCES

As Pandemic Aid Ends, California Families Face Brutal New Year

Capital Public Radio

In late 2017, a house fell on Jacques Gene. The construction foreman in Cool, east of Sacramento, was inside a half-finished home when the rolling trusses that make up the underside of the roof fell, collapsing the whole house.

Walters: Poll confirms Californians’ sour mood on higher taxes

Sacramento Bee

Proposition 15 would have been the largest tax increase in California history and its defeat this month was, by any definition, a huge setback for its sponsors, primarily public employee unions.

TRANSPORTATION

United Airlines has started shipping coronavirus shot, source says

abc30

United Airlines has begun shipping the first batches of the COVID-19 vaccine on charter flights, a source told ABC News. The source is familiar with the operation, according to ABC.

Thanksgiving eve was the busiest air travel day of the pandemic, despite health warnings

Washington Post

The TSA reported screening more than 1 million daily passengers, a now-rare milestone for airports.

How the Biden Administration Will Tackle Travel

Wall Street Journal

The incoming U.S. president and his team will have to make quick calls on safe flying during Covid, the health of the airline industry, high-speed rail and much more.

WATER

Private well owners can shape state’s water decisions

Fresno Bee

It’s easy to understand why people who rely on private wells for their water can feel powerless about the future of their supply — wells pump water from underground aquifers shared by many neighbors.

The future of Madera groundwater is being decided. Do residents have a say?

Fresno Bee

Walters: Why are taxpayers footing Klamath River dam removal cost?

CalMatters

Plans to remove four privately owned, obsolete power dams on the Klamath River advance with California taxpayers putting up more than half the cost.

“Xtra”

A spotlight on nonprofits in Kern County

Bakersfield Californian

From brand new events to long-held traditions, Fresno holiday events go on during pandemic

Fresno Bee

Much like many just-observed Halloween celebrations, some long-held Christmas traditions are being reshaped by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. That includes downtown Fresno’s annual Christmas Parade, which draws thousands of spectators every December and has been running for going on 91 years and now is being reinvented as a parade in reverse.

Fresno Chaffee Zoo begins its ZooLights extravaganza welcoming the Christmas season

Fresno Bee

Fresno Chaffee Zoo began its annual ZooLights extravaganza welcoming the Christmas season with lights and seasonal cheer Friday, Nov. 27, 2020 in Fresno.

Annual Christmas Tree Lighting hosted by city of Bakersfield

Bakersfield Californian

The city of Bakersfield hosted its fourth annual Christmas Tree Lighting on Saturday at Centennial Plaza in front of Mechanics Bank Arena. After Mayor Karen Goh and City Council members spoke, the tree lighting ceremony took place.

The Grinch who stole 2020's Candy Cane Lane Parade? COVID-19, of course

Visalia Times Delta

But for the first time in its 75-history, the parade that draws some 30,000 people to downtown Visalia every year to kick off the Christmas shopping season has been canceled.